Piston packing ring



Dec. 11, 1923. 1,477,20

o. w. HANsoN PI STON PACKING RING original Filed oct. 27. 1920 M1727:ess

me @t Patented Dec. 1l, .i923a Lamm@ OSCAR W. HANSON, 0F SALINA, KANSAS.

PISTON PACKING RING.

Application led ctober 27, 1920, Serial No. 419,903. Renewed May 2,1923.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, OSCAR W. HANsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Salina, in the county of Saline and State of Kansas, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Piston Packing Rings, of whichthe following is ay specification.

My invention relates to packing rings for engine pistons, and moreparticularly to a type of the same adapted for use in' connection withengines.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a comparativelysimple` split packing ring construction, which will function effectuallyas a packing between the piston and the opposed wall of an enginecylinder, and, at the same time, will operate against the latter toei'ectively clear the same of surplus oil films, whereby to prevent suchtilms of oil from creeping past the piston and becoming carbonized inthe upper part of the cylinder, such as now commonly occurs in the useof known constructions of pist/ons of internal combustion -h similarcharacter, and which results in dei creased eiiciency in vthe operationof the engine, undue wear and pitting of the cylinder wall and surfacesof the piston, and diminished effectivenessrof the ignition spark of theplugs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ring with wearsurfaces which will adjust themselves to the wear of the v cylinderwalls and thus cause the ring to conform closely to the irregular shapeof a worn cylinder and prevent leakage even when the cylinder is to aconsiderable eX- tent. out of true.

Tit-h the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides inthe certain features of construction and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter more. specifically described, set forth in the appendedclaims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1is a fragmentary detail ot' an engine cylinder and the piston thereofwith the invention applied to the latter,

Figure 2 is an edge view of the packing ring.y

Figure 3 is a plan view of the lower face ofthe same, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail, in cross section, of a segmental portionthereof.

In Figure l. of the drawing, l have shown theinvention as applied foruseV in conjunction with the cylinder and piston construction o theordinary type of internal combustion engine, but it is contemplated thatthe same may be used in connection with any other type of apparatus ormecha- .msm involving a sliding piston, or pistons,

'requiring the use of packing rings, and therein, the c linder isindicated by the numeral l an the piston at 2, the latter aving one ormore circumferential annular grooves 3, each adapted to snugly seattherein a packing ringf 4.

The packing ring 4 consists of a circular band or bar of suitable springmetal, such as special high-grade close-grained cast-iron, or othermetal having similar characteristics, substantially square orrectangular in cross-section, and split in any desired or ordinary.manner as shown at 5. The outer periphery of the ring 4 is formed topro= vide a plurality of circumferential, substantially knife-edgedridges or corrugations 6, and a single ridge or corrugation 7 extendingradially from the topedge of t-he outer peripheryv and having aperipheral face 8 of relatively wide area as distinguishedY from theknife-like edges of the ridges or corrugations 6.

cut, as indicated at 9, Figure 4. so that the edges thereof are disposediu a downwardly inclined angular relation with respect. to the cylinderwall. when the ring. or rings 4 are in operative position. and which,consequently. results in a shear-like. or scraping action in thedownward movement of the piston and a free sliding. or non-scrapingaction in the upward movement of the same. This shear-like or scrapingaction is designed to keep the wall of the cylinder free of practicallyall deposits ot' oil splashing therein from the crank-case and therebypre` vent the formation of the usual carbon deposits within theexplosive end of the c vlinder. or chamber, thus obtaining maximumeiiiciency throughout the life of new engines equipped with the device,and. to increase the efficiency of old or used engines by clearing theCOated wall of the cylinders thereof. when the same is substituted forthe ordinaryY types of packing rings.

To facilitate the downward flow and return of the surplus oil to thecrank-case, during the scraping action of the ring or The lower faces ofthe` ridges or corrugations '6 and C? are undcrllt) in upwardsuccession,

rings 4 on the downward stroke of the piston, the peripheral face of thelower edge of the ring 4 is provided with a series of equi-distantlyspaced recesses 10, the same extending through the lowerof the ridgesedges of the ridges or corrugations 6, provides for a bearing surfacesuch as tends to prevent otherwise rapid vwearing down of the edges ofthe latter and to distribute the wear evenly to all of the ridges orcorrugations. However, as it is obvious that the greatest wear will besustained by the lowerof the ridges or corrugations 6' by reason of itsperforming the initial scraping action and by the others, withdiminishing effect, it is also to be noted of the upper ridge orcorrugation 7 with its bearing periphery or surface 9, that it will bethe last one to be effected, and, consequently, will, throughoutpractically the entire' life ofthe ring, act to prevent the passage of asufficient quantity of oil to defeat the objects as stated for theinvention.

It is to be further noted that, in the manufacture of the invention, therings may be vor any desired width, and that the number of ridges orcorrugations may be varied accordingly. In the usual type of ring, for.

use on pistons of internal combustion engines, of an inch in width, itis contemplated to form five of the ridges or corrugations thereon, thelower four of which will be of the knife-edge construction, as shown inithe several views of the drawings. A

An important feature of my invention,

additional ito those above-described, resides in the fact thatthe sharpedges of the rid es or corrugations will wear away rapily where theyfirst come into contact with' the cylinder walls, and therefore soonadjust the ring to the surfaces of a worn cylinder, thus securing aquick seal and preventin leakage'even when the cylinder is consi erablywornl or out of true, due to piston slap and other causes.

be noted that the upper ridge or' the same being generally one-quarterHaving thus fully described my invention, I claim 1. A piston packingring comprising a. split resilient band provided with a series of spacedannular corrugat-ions upon its periphery between its top and bottomfaces, the uppermost one of said corrugations being undercut on itslower face only to form a lower cutting edge and having a broad fiatcircumferential surface to bear upon the cylinder wall, and each of theother of said corrugations having an upper surface inclining outwardlyand downwardly at a comparatively sharp angle and a lower undercutsurface incliningI outwardly and downwardly at a relativelyA gentlerangle, said upper and lower inclined surfaces lconverging to a point soas to Jform a `downwardly and loutwardly .inclined,v` wedgeshapedcorrugationterminating in," a sharp cutting edge, the cutting edges o'fall the corrugations being arranged for a cutting or scraping action onthe cylinder wall in one direction of movement only of the piston.

f2f A piston packing ring comprising a split resilient band providedwith a series of spaced annular' corrugations upon. its peripherybetween its top and bo tom faces, the uppermost one of said corrliationsbeing undercut on its lower face o ly to form a lower cutting edge andhaving a broad flat circumferential surface to bear upon the cylinderwall, and each of theI other of said corrugations having an uppersurface inclining outwardly and downwardly at a comparatively sharpangle land a lower undercut surface inclining` outwardly and downwardlyat a relatively entler angle, said upper and lower inclinedsurfacesconverging toy a point so as to form a downwardly land outwardlyinclined, vwedgeshaped,corrugationterminating in a sharp cuttin edge thecutting edges of all the corrugations being arranged for a cutting orscraping action on the cylinder wall in one direction of movement onlyof the piston, and an annular series of notches opening through thebottom corrugat'ron solely and connecting the bottom face of the ringex, clusively with the space or groove above the lowermost corrugationand between the same and the next adjacent superposed corrugation.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

OSCAR W. HANSON.

